Eidesvik Offshore will refit its platform supply vessel (PSV) Viking Energy with an ammonia dual fuel engine, targeting 2026 as the year that the vessel will operate on ammonia for Equinor, effectively cutting GHG emissions by 70% or more.
Viking Energy will switch to ammonia operations, in a move that should make it the world’s first in-service vessel to adopt the fuel as a primary energy source.
"This conversion is made possible by the support and investment from Equinor. We are very pleased to partner up with a client that share our ambitious climate targets, on a project that can help kick-start a wider adoption of ammonia across the shipping industry”, said Gitte Gard Talmo, CEO and President of Eidesvik Offshore
Viking Energy is no stranger to the record books, having previously made history as the first LNG-powered offshore vessel, before being converted to the first ever hybrid with a DNV ‘Battery Power’ notation in 2016. Its latest evolution, named the ‘Apollo’ project, will see the installation of a Wärtsilä W25 dual fuel engine, capable of operating on ammonia and MGO.
"We have an ambition to halve the maritime emissions associated with our Norwegian operations by 2030. With this contract, we will, in collaboration with Eidesvik Offshore, employ a new low-emission technology. We strongly believe in the use of ammonia as a fuel on our supply vessels," says Ørjan Kvelvane, Equinor's senior vice president for joint operations support.
Photo: Arne Reidar Mortensen / Equinor
The project has placed an order for the ammonia engine and fuel gas supply system.
Viking Energy, which recently was awarded a new five-year contract until 2030 with Equinor in the North Sea, is expected to operate on ammonia from the first half of 2026. Wärtsilä will supply the ammonia technology, while Breeze Ship Design will handle all necessary ship design services.
Cluster organization Maritime CleanTech has worked with the partnership to secure a grant of 5M€ from the EU’s Horizon Europe program.
In addition to the ammonia dual fuel engine, Viking Energy is also a demonstrator vessel in the EU-funded ShipFC project where the aim is to pilot ammonia-powered fuel cells.
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